


Let's skate, Dr Do

by nyu96



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 13:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12081570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyu96/pseuds/nyu96
Summary: Even though Sehun had many dumb ideas, Jongin couldn't help but thank his best friend for skateboarding off a roof and leading him to meet a certain cute doctor.





	Let's skate, Dr Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jonginous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonginous/gifts).



> I just wanted to thanks my beta who's been truly amazing, it wouldn't have been possible without her. And also thanks to the mods for helping me when I needed it. This has been quite difficult to write but I hope that's good enough~

“Come on Jongin, today is the day,” Sehun shouted with the same grin plastered on his face from when they had met that morning. 

Jongin didn’t even have time to answer as his friend was already ahead of him, practically running down the stairs to get out of the university as quickly as humanly possible. He didn’t bother running to catch up with Sehun and grumbled to himself instead. He didn’t feel the need to rush over to witness his friend’s stupid antics and instead decided to walk down the corridors slowly. 

He did not have the energy to be excited for anything at the moment since he hadn't been sleeping much for the past few days. Actually, he was so tired that he almost felt lifeless, the lack of sleep took a real toll on him this time around. His day hadn’t been [i]that[/i] bad per se, it had actually been quite a normal one. In fact, he didn’t even have that many classes to attend that day. He just had a very boring assignment that he was dreading of working on and no means of motivation to do anything. He had tried to fight the sleep all day long and barely managed not to fall asleep in his last lecture. 

Naturally, Jongin was glad that classes were over. Yet he’d rather go home and sleep than follow through his friend’s (dumb) idea. What were best friends for though? Jongin still followed him, rather reluctantly. 

He hadn’t forgotten why Sehun was that excited despite having probably the same rough day as him. His friend was usually even more exhausted than he was since he tended to keep everything until the last minute and it was not rare for him to pull an all-nighter to finish his assignments. Jongin dreaded those days because Sehun was always in a bad mood when he was really tired and the only thing that ever came out of his mouth were complaints. Complaint after complaint, it was never-ending. As if Jongin needed that. 

Today had apparently been an exception though. This is not going to turn out well, Jongin thought. Sehun was usually pretty careless but this time had to be an all time high, even for him. Yet, he knew it was useless to even try to talk Sehun out from anything. The brat was too stubborn for his own good. 

In no time (according to Jongin at least), the two friends were out of the subway station and skateboarding toward Sehun’s house with the eager Sehun being way ahead of the relaxed Jongin. He could feel the wind in his hair as he skated and was finally able to relax, emptying his mind in the quiet neighborhood as he tried to forget all of his worries as a college student. 

Sehun’s house had always been a logical place for them to hang out since it was pretty close to their university and food was always ready when they got there, thanks to Sehun’s mom. Jongin’s little flat was better when it came to drinking before parties or just chilling without being disrupted by Sehun’s parents. Moreover, the streets to his house were flat so it was easier for them to skateboard. It had become a routine for them since they met each other and after all that time, it felt like they ruled the neighborhood, even though it was residential and mostly old people living there. But it was nice to ignore that from time to time.

“Are you sure you really want to do this?” Jongin asked as soon as they arrived at Sehun’s house. He didn’t even have time to properly put his bag in the house before Sehun started running around everywhere in order to prepare his project. Having nothing else to do, Jongin went to grab a glass of water, only to be glared at when he met Sehun’s eyes. He had a stern face and wasn’t saying anything, he just raised his eyebrow when he was sure Jongin was looking at him. 

“Okay, I was just making sure so that you don’t regret anything later, you know.” Jongin uttered. 

“I told you I’ve been practising for weeks and that even if I do fail I can at least say I’ve tried and the video will become a buzz online. Heard of all those fails compilations on YouTube?” 

Jongin didn’t say anything more and sighed, resigned. It would take too much energy just to make Sehun doubt his own idea and the outcome would most likely not change. Definitely not worth his time. 

They didn’t have much time to carry out Sehun’s project because his parents would be home in a few hours and it would spell the death of Sehun. And most likely the end of Jongin too if they saw he didn’t stop their son. He wasn’t his dad and Sehun was an adult, it was not his responsibility. (And he was too tired, please someone bring him a bed, preferably away from Sehun.) 

Sehun was just about finished setting up his amazing project as he dubbed it, while Jongin was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping on his glass of water and lost in his thoughts. He was thinking dejectedly about all the studying he would have to do tonight for the assignment he had started at lunch. Jongin wasn’t really the studious type of guy, he just tried to have decent grades so his parents and his teachers wouldn’t nag him. 

“I’m ready!” Sehun shouted, pulling Jongin out of his thoughts quite suddenly. He was thankful that he got a chance to focus on something less depressing than university stuff. Sehun had always been a good friend when it came to pulling Jongin out of his bad thoughts and distracting him with something else entirely. 

They first checked to make sure the neighbours weren’t around by taking a peek into their gardens and through the windows from Sehun’s own front yard. It was kind of a creepy thing to do but Sehun insisted it was absolutely necessary. It would have been a pity to be interrupted or to have the neighbors telling Sehun’s parents about their whereabouts. 

Once he was sure no one was around, Sehun carefully went up on the roof with a ladder, holding his skateboard in one hand. He had already planned days before what spot he would jump from and what spot he would land. Everything had been carefully prepared and nothing could go wrong as he had been practicing his 360 flip for weeks. 

He inhaled deeply, put on his helmet (safety was important) and winked at Jongin from the top of the roof. His friend had installed the camera where Sehun had carefully told him to and he was now waiting, praying internally for his friend. Everything was set-up and Sehun took one last deep breath before going on his skateboard. 

Sehun had been talking about this for days, claiming he would go down in history with it. He wanted to do a 360 flip off the roof because it would seemingly make him famous if the video was posted on YouTube and went viral, therefore making it the biggest achievement of his life. Little did he know that things didn’t always work out like that, even things as thoroughly planned as Sehun’s own plan. 

A few seconds later, as Sehun was up the roof with his skateboard, probably feeling like the king of the world seeing his smug expression, he finally went down the roof on his skateboard. 

Jongin almost dropped the camera and muttered a “fuck” under his breath before running to his friend. Sehun’s fall had happened in slow-motion. As soon as he jumped off the roof, Jongin knew something had gone wrong, yet he couldn’t do anything but stare at him and wait for the harmful impact of his seemingly endless fall. 

Sehun moaned in pain a few seconds after he touched the ground and immediately curled into himself. Jongin was already beside him trying to figure out where he was hurt and rubbing a hand on Sehun’s back as if it could sooth the pain. 

“Where are you hurt?” he whispered, not getting too close because he was scared that he would hurt him even more. Jongin was already preparing himself for the worst. 

“My feet…’think? Ugh.. Fell on them.” 

Staying calm was quite difficult considering every alarm was going off in Jongin’s head. By now, Jongin was inspecting Sehun’s body, making sure he was not bleeding anywhere. He just managed to notice a few scratches on his legs, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in a few weeks time. Jongin was trying hard not to freak out because at least one of them had to be calm and that couldn’t possibly be Sehun at the moment. He was still curled up on the floor and moaning in pain. It became significantly harder to not freak out when he got a look at his knee. 

“Oh my god.”

Sehun’s knee…well, it wasn’t straight anymore. It was bent weirdly where his bone was supposed to be and apparently Sehun had noticed too since he was starting to panic, flocking his limbs everywhere. Or at least the ones he could still move.

“Just calm the fuck down Sehun, oh my god. It’s probably just broken.” Jongin faked calmness and it was quite a miracle he still managed to do it at this point.

“So dumb...god ugh,” he moaned, “… parents gonna kill me... I just…”

“Yes you are Sehun, no need to remind me for fuck’s sake! Can you walk? Wait no! Let’s just stay here. I gonna call an ambulance to get you to the hospital alright? Maybe they’ll even do something for your dumbness.” 

Sehun just nodded numbly, trying not to stare at his leg and instead focused on the trees nearby as if they were the most interesting things he had ever seen in his life. His face was pale, Jongin noticed, and it seemed like he could pass out any moment now. 

Jongin was tensely holding the phone as he called the Emergency Services. It was his first time calling for any kind of medical help and he had no idea about what to say or what to do when they answered. He was pretty sure he was not qualified enough to carry out this call. Where were real adults when you needed them? 

He also had to endure a few minutes of Sehun staring at him without batting an eyelash, face remaining calm despite his initial pain before Jongin called emergency services. He was starting to wonder if Sehun was actually really in pain in the first place. He soon realized right after hanging up that his friend wasn’t really aware of what was happening and was in too much pain to do anything else.

“They’ve gotta be kidding, they asked if I had a car to bring you to the hospital myself. I had to convince them that your leg was probably broken from the fall. They said they’d be there in 30 minutes or so, please don’t do anything stupid until then, okay?”

Sehun grumbled but still leaned on Jongin’s side when he sat down next to him as Jongin continued to rub his back. He was scared that Sehun would move and worsen his injury (and he could not handle his best friend being in more pain). He spent the next few minutes checking the road anxiously. The ambulance could very well pass by them and Jongin was ready to run after them and stop them if that was the case. 

Then he got up to grab Sehun something to drink since the medic on the phone told him that it was important to keep his friend hydrated. After that, Jongin waited beside Sehun in the grass of his garden. Jongin was talking non-stop to Sehun trying to make him forget the pain and preventing him from passing out. 

“What am I gonna do with you?” Jongin whispered as two men rushed out to his friend when the ambulance pulled up in front of Sehun’s house. 

***

It was Sehun and Jongin’s first time in an ambulance and according to Jongin, he definitely didn’t need to experience this in his life ever again. He tried not to freak out as one of the medics took care of Sehun’s injured leg, filling out some paper for the hospital and trying to see how severe the injury was. He didn’t know whether he was holding Sehun’s hand to reassure himself or his friend. 

In the meantime, Jongin had time to look at the inside of the ambulance. He didn’t expect that so much equipment could be stocked in such a tiny space. Everything was perfectly placed on the walls, even though he had no idea what half of the things were. He hoped that he never had to learn what they were either.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Sehun tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. Apparently, the medic pressed on his leg and it hurt quite badly judging by the look on Sehun’s tensed face. Jongin forced a fake smile to his best friend, as he felt quite bad for Sehun. The journey to the hospital seemed endless for them and Jongin prayed they would arrive already so that he could get some fresh air and feel less trapped. 

As soon as they got to the emergency center, a couple of nurses came out and pulled Sehun’s gurney into the emergency room. There he was placed into a room separate from the noisy lobby filled with people waiting to get called in. Luckily, Sehun only had to wait about ten minutes before a doctor came to them. 

“Hello! I am Doctor Do,” he said as he shook Jongin and Sehun’s hands. “I am a doctor here. You're Oh Sehun right?” Sehun nodded numbly, not caring one bit about his presentation. He just wanted the pain to go away. 

“So let's get to it. It seems like you have a broken leg. We will first x-ray your leg to see how serious it is then we can determine whether you'll need surgery or whether you’ll just need a brace.” 

Jongin crossed his fingers behind his back hoping that it would be the latter and that everything else would go by fastly for his friend. As much as he thought Sehun had been dumb, he couldn’t stand seeing his best friend in pain.

*** 

About half an hour later, the doctor passed by the corridor where Jongin was waiting for his friend to get his leg x-rayed. Phone use was forbidden in those quarters and Jongin was swinging his legs out of stress and staring numbly at one of the doors in front of him.

“I can lead you to a place where phones are allowed so that you can call your friend’s parents if you want?” The doctor said in a soft voice as he stopped in front of Jongin. 

“He’s old enough to call his parents himself, you maybe won’t believe it but he’s already twenty-one. I also don’t want to deal with having to tell his parents. The only reason I’d want to go to where phones are allowed is to play some games on my phone. Hospitals are boring when you're waiting for your dumb friend without internet.” 

Jongin had decided, as soon as he got into the ambulance, that he would not be the one calling his friend’s parents. He knew them and he knew they would freak out and ask a dozen questions that Jongin would most likely not be able to answer. It was a big no for him. His friend had better call them as soon as he could. 

“Well, it happens I guess. We all have that one dumb friend who makes our life more eventful. I heard he jumped off the roof with a skateboard. Why would he do that in the first place?” Doctor Do asked as he sat down next to Jongin. 

“Apart from the fact that he has quite dumb ideas, he wanted me to film him doing that trick so that he could become famous or something.” He sighed. 

“At least, I guess you have video to remind him of this day for the rest of his life. I’m sure that could also be useful if you ever need something from him in the future.” 

“I didn't know doctors could encourage blackmail, wow. Doesn't that go against your ethics or something?” Jongin smiled slightly as he looked towards the doctor. 

“I am not encouraging blackmail and not all doctors have ethics, not that I'm one of those.” He rolled out his eyes. “I just formulated that idea to make you feel better. Isn't that what doctors are for?” 

Jongin grinned at the doctor’s words. He seemed quite friendly and not that kind of old doctor making a fuss about every bad habit you could have. 

“I will tell you a secret. I usually do not treat cases such as a broken leg. The hospital is just understaffed and apparently there are no more serious cases right now. You’re lucky to have me.” The doctor stood up and smirked. 

“Cocky are we? A broken leg like this might be an easy case for the amazing doctor you are then.”

“Well I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to go back to the basics from time to time. Reminds me of my university days.” 

Jongin smiled bashfully as he thought that this doctor was really something else. 

“Well, if you excuse me, this wonderful doctor has other patients to take care of. See you later maybe?” 

He nodded as the doctor walked away, trying to hurry with his short legs. It was quite a funny sight, really.

***

“JONGIN” Sehun shouted as he exited the x-ray room. Jongin almost had a heart attack as he had been dozing off on the bench, his head placed on his hand. At that moment, he was glad that his friend had a broken leg, otherwise he would have jumped on him and Jongin probably would’ve been dead by now. 

“I’m not sure I want to know. You’re way too excited for someone who just got his leg broken.” 

“Apparently I got lucky and it’s not that serious.”

Jongin couldn’t believe it. After all, his friend still managed to get lucky. When would he learn? As Sehun seemed excited a few seconds ago, the simple fact of him shouting in the hallway (which was really rude by the way) exhausted him. 

“I’m glad. So what happens now?”

Jongin was truly happy for his friend even though he didn’t show it. He just had been scared for a while and that mixed with tiredness, he couldn’t muster up more excitement right now.

“Hm… I heard I will have to undergo surgery so that they can put something in my leg to make sure my bone heals correctly.”

“Oh, not that lucky then. So no skateboarding anymore?” 

“Thanks for rubbing salt into the wound.” Sehun pouted and got moody all of the sudden. Jongin wasn’t able to tell if it was just an act or if it was how Sehun was really feeling. Anyway, he knew that skating was important to Sehun and that he would get upset about not being allowed to do it at some point. 

“So. Now that my pity party is over,” Sehun exclaimed, “You will wait with me until someone takes care of my leg because you are such a wonderful friend. Don’t think I’m asking you, I’m just stating a fact.”

Jongin rolled his eyes. His friend and his sassy self were back already. And maybe he had missed that a tiny bit for the few last hours that he had been worrying about his friend. He hadn’t planned on leaving his friend alone in the hospital regardless. Even though Sehun was a social butterfly, Jongin knew he wasn’t keen on staying alone in an unfamiliar place, not knowing exactly what would happen to him. 

***

Soon enough, Sehun got moved into a real hospital room, waiting for a surgeon to come by and tell him when the operation would take place and how it would go. Not that he really liked to think about that part. 

Jongin, of course, came with him, acting reluctant just to make his friend suffer but he wouldn’t go home until he was sure his friend was okay. He would never admit it, though, because Sehun would make sure to nag him. 

About twenty minutes after they got into the room, Doctor Do entered the room quietly, trying not to disturb them. When he realized that the two friends weren’t asleep or in a deep conversation, he announced himself. 

“Hello boys, how are you doing?” He then turned towards Sehun and took a more professional voice. “I’m going to proceed with a few more inspections of you. Do you want your friend to leave?” 

“No, don't worry Doctor, he’s already seen all of me.” Sehun argued back playfully, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Jongin mouthed back a “Shut up” while the doctor helped Sehun take off his pants.

“So I heard you fell from the roof while you were skateboarding. Care to explain what happened?” 

“Don’t bother Doctor, there is no rational explanation. He's just dumb like that, maybe you could try to cure that as well?” Jongin answered quicker than Sehun could. The grin on his face made Sehun rage. 

“Well, sorry for not being a pussy like you, dear Jongin.” 

“I see...let’s not go there. You're both university students, right? You were quite reckless, I must admit.” 

“Yup, and don't let my friend here take your attention away from me since I'm the one in pain here.” Sehun stated.

“You said to me a few minutes ago that it wasn't even hurting.” Jongin whined. 

Doctor Do smiled at the two friends bickering as they reminded him of his college years even if he had spent most of his time studying. After all, one could just not become a doctor that easily. 

***

“Hello, I’m back already.” Doctor Do said as he entered the room where the two friends were dozing off. Jongin was sitting, sleeping beside Sehun with his upper body lying on his friend’s belly and his arms all draped over Sehun’s body. The doctor chuckled at the adorable sight.

“Time to wake up Sehun! Time for surgery!” He sang jokingly.

And that worked. Sehun was definitely awake when he heard the word surgery. As well as Jongin who groaned in the sheets, not pleased to have been shaken awake. 

Doctor Do had a blinding smile as if he hadn’t just said the worst possible thing to Sehun. The latter was now fidgeting and looking alarmed. Those signs were clear to Jongin, even though his friend tried not to show it. Sehun was anxious. He had talked about it with Jongin when they got into the hospital room and were finally alone. Jongin tried to comfort him, saying that plenty of people have had their leg broken, underwent under surgery, and had it turn out okay for at least 99% of them. Obviously, Sehun was even more frightened at the thought of being in the 1% who hadn’t been fine.

Jongin then decided it was a bad idea to talk about it since he had not been gifted with words. He had always been bad at comforting people and instead tried to distract Sehun by talking about other things he liked. They ended up watching some videos on Jongin’s phone before falling asleep on each other, which is how Doctor Do discovered them. 

“Hm what?” Sehun started quietly, clearly confused. 

“We will get the anesthesiologist and then proceed to the surgery. It will be a general anesthetic but don’t worry, everything should be alright.” 

Sehun was staring at the Doctor Do like he just told him his dog died. (He didn’t have a dog but that was not the point, dogs were precious). He didn’t move an inch until Jongin spoke, breaking the silence in the room. 

“How long will he stay in hospital then?”

“Hm...a few days after the operation. Speaking of which, you should probably go home and rest, Jongin was it?” He nodded. “You won't be able to see him before tomorrow morning anyway.”

Jongin turned to his friend who had gone pale by now and looked petrified. He took his hand and stroked it as a way to assure him everything will be alright. 

“Could you please tell him, Doctor, that it's a minor operation and that he won't die.”

The doctor chuckled a little at Jongin’s demand. He was used to patients being scared of undergoing surgery and it was his job to assure them that they shouldn't be stressed because the surgeons were trained for surgery. 

“Do you really think I did six years of medical school to not be able to operate on a broken leg? I’ve done way worse, trust me. Don't worry, though, I've done this so many times that I could practically do it with my eyes closed.” He was giving Sehun a reassuring smile. “The surgery won't even last that long, I promise. One hour at most.” 

Sehun only relaxed a bit at the doctor’s words and Jongin was glad. He didn’t want to leave his friend scared, he’d be more at ease leaving with Sehun feeling okay with the surgery. 

“I don't wanna rush you boys but it’s time to go. The sooner, the better.” Jongin nodded and the doctor turned to Sehun, “Shall we go then?” 

“Hm wait. Jongin, please come back tomorrow and tell my parents I’m alright, I guess. They would probably be worried if the hospital called them.” 

“Definitely. I'll just leave you to explain what happened. I’ll be back tomorrow after classes. I'll ask your parents to bring you your phone charger and some clothes maybe too?” 

Sehun said yes and that was the cue for the doctor to shoo Jongin out of the room and take Sehun’s bed towards the operating room. Jongin crossed his fingers that everything would be alright for him. 

*** 

Just as promised Jongin did indeed go back to the hospital the next day but he didn't have time to miss or worry for his friend as Sehun had been texting him all day long since he woke up in the morning. Apparently, someone at the hospital had been nice enough to lend him a phone charger and Jongin hadn't been able to concentrate in class because of it.

Sehun was complaining about being lonely and bored, about how the food tasted disgusting and about how he [i]needed[/i] Jongin to bring him some junk food. He also mentioned the fact that it was such a hassle to go to the toilet by himself and honestly, Jongin definitely didn't need to know all the details of the process. 

Sehun was sleeping soundly when he got in the room and he went straight up to turn the TV off. What dumb show had been Sehun watching anyway? Nothing seemingly interesting could air at four in the afternoon on a Tuesday. His friend had that terrible habit of watching the worst reality shows when he was bored, claiming it relaxed him and that he felt smart next to the people starring in the show. 

Jongin sighed as he remembered the day Sehun told him that, it was a few days after their finals the year before. Sehun had forcefully pulled him down onto the couch to binge watch some dumb reality show, something Jongin did not appreciate. The show was bad and Sehun’s hilarious comments on it were even worse. He definitely did not like it. Not one bit. 

“Wakey Wakey, your favorite person ever has come to visit you even though he had tons of assignments left to finish.” 

Sehun woke up from his deep sleep at the sound of Jongin’s booming voice. After all, being bored was really tiring (at least that’s what he told Jongin five times throughout the day.) 

“Yah!” Jongin shouted to wake up his friend once more. 

“What the fuck Jongin, why are you being so rude?” Sehun groaned, visibly displeased. 

Jongin grinned in retaliation. “I brought you some snacks, be thankful.” 

Sehun couldn't help but smile at the mention of decent food and took Jongin’s bag from his hands. He had easily forgotten that Jongin had just woken him up, quite rudely, once he caught sight of his favorite snack. 

As if it had been weeks since Sehun had been in the hospital, he asked Jongin to tell him everything that happened while he was away. He didn't want to be left out of the loop, he had argued. Jongin wasn't one to keep up with the latest gossip so he didn't have much to say, much to Sehun’s chagrin. 

He felt glad (and also kind of sorry) for his friend when his parents busted in the room about an hour after Jongin came in. He knew it was better for him to leave the room when he saw the mix of worry and anger on Sehun’s parents’ faces. Apparently they didn't have time to come before hand, however now they had the time to come visit and yell at Sehun.

Jongin said hello to them with a quick smile and left the room quietly, feeling Sehun’s betrayed eyes following his every movement out the door. 

He was quite accustomed to Sehun’s parents, actually. He didn't want to be there when Sehun would begin acting like a teenager, claiming it was okay to make mistakes from time to time. Nor did he want to be there to defend his friend’s action or give an explanation for anything. 

Jongin sat on the floor of the corridor in front of Sehun’s room, playing games on his phone while he waited for Sehun’s parents to stop yelling at his friend and calm down. He didn't bother finding a better place to wait because he was scared he might get lost and not see Sehun as soon as his parents left like he wanted. 

“What are you doing here?” Doctor Do asked him as he passed by. Jongin figured that Doctor Do seemed worried about him since the boy was probably looking very pitiful at this moment. He noticed the doctor’s gentle smile and thought it was probably mandatory in medical school to be able to smile at people and pity them for literally every occasion.

“You know, just waiting for my friend to finish being scolded. I didn't really want to be in there when his parents threaten to send him to an asylum or something.” 

“I guess I should wait a bit before going in then. I'm not really a fan of scolding and I doubt I could examine him properly in that situation.” Doctor Do said playfully. 

“Right. It will probably be over in a few minutes anyways. I'm not hearing his mum’s sighing as much as before so that's a good sign.” 

They waited next to each other in front of the door for the next few minutes in an awkward silence, as dubbed by Jongin. He never knew how to distinguish awkward silences from the normal ones. He always believed that people who didn't talk to him just thought he was an uninteresting person to talk to and he was even more scared to speak to them first, feeling like he was forcing them. 

After two overly long minutes of Jongin debating if it was an awkward silence or not, he decided that he had had enough and he was going to go back inside the room despite Sehun’s parents still being in there. He didn't deserve to feel awkward just because of Sehun’s dumbness. 

He cleared his throat to make his presence known and hopefully stop all discussions as soon as he entered.

“Hm yeah, Doctor Do is here and wants to check Sehun’s leg.” He said very lamely. 

“Oh sorry, please come in Doctor, we wouldn't want to stop you from doing your job.” Sehun’s dad stated. 

Sehun’s parents seemed calm enough, in contrast to Sehun who was fuming. Jongin stood near the door and raised his eyebrows at Sehun, it was his way of asking him how it went. His friend answered with a sigh and rolled his eyes. Jongin chuckled as quietly as possible, careful not to bring any attention on to him.

He stayed for another hour in the room while Sehun was examined by the doctor. After the doctor left, Sehun carried on by explaining how his surgery went (even though he was asleep during it) and then began complaining a lot about staying in hospital. To which his parents answered that he had better be careful next time and not do reckless things anymore. 

When Jongin got home from the hospital, it was already pretty late. Sehun’s parents had offered him a ride home to thank him for bringing their son to the hospital and staying with him but he respectfully declined. 

He managed to work a bit on his school assignments but as he felt himself falling asleep on it, he decided it was better to just go to bed since he was obviously not being productive. Damn Sehun. 

*** 

Jongin only had the opportunity to come back once before Sehun was discharged from the hospital. He wouldn't sacrifice not going to all of his classes just for his best friend. And Sehun didn't seem to mind that much even though he still bombarded Jongin with messages daily because he was as bored as he had been on the first day. 

Sehun was able to come back to class only one and a half weeks after he broke his leg. And Jongin wished he never did. As much as Sehun was annoying when he was in hospital, it was even worse now that he was next to Jongin at school. 

Sehun couldn't stop complaining and Jongin had to help him do everything: holding his tray in the university cafeteria, taking his bag every time he wanted to go up or down the stairs, and not to mention giving his friend a ride home. 

Jongin swore that he was a really good friend and that Sehun was now indebted to him for the rest of his life. Sehun only said he would offer him coffee one day, knowing very well that his friend didn't like it. 

It was a hellish month for Jongin, who had to take care of his friend. He didn't even go skateboarding once because he was too busy with Sehun. Plus, there was no point in going skating alone anyway. He was being kind of faithful to Sehun, waiting for his friend’s leg to heal so they could go skate together again.

*** 

About a month and a half later and only a week after Sehun got his cast removed, he declared that it was time to skate board again! Jongin didn't know if he felt relieved or doubtful. He hadn't skateboarded at all for the past few weeks, waiting for his friend to get better. It wasn’t even as much fun without Sehun, not that he would admit it to the latter.

Sehun had been complaining for weeks that everything was boring when you couldn't walk properly. Jongin had lost the count of times he had to help Sehun go up and down the stairs because he refused to take the elevator, claiming that it was good exercise for their legs (as well as a being good asset for skateboarding of course). 

As soon as he got his cast removed, Sehun had had to go to rehabilitation. He told Jongin that the doctor said he shouldn’t exercise for the next month and that he should take it easy with walking. Skateboarding was, of course, out of the question. But who was Sehun to listen to some doctor? He didn’t even hesitate before dragging Jongin out of his house to Han River so that they could skate there. 

Jongin didn't say anything about Sehun’s leg (he was too stubborn to listen anyway) but still packed some paracetamol in his bag just in case. He knew that this was probably a bad idea and he was glad Sehun’s parents weren’t there to witness it. 

Sehun was really excited as they went to one of the most popular places near the Han River. It was crowded, as it usually was on a Saturday afternoons, but they didn't care. They met up again with some of the guys they knew from there who were wondering where the two of them had been for the past two months or so. 

Sehun had to explain what happened at least three times for all the people they met. Jongin was shocked by Sehun glorifying his fall like it had been the most epic thing ever in his life when it was actually just Sehun falling down pitifully. Jongin felt obliged to intervene to establish the truth to everyone. 

The two of them were now skateboarding along the Han River, they had ditched their other friends so they could do some tricks and appreciate the feeling of the wind again. It had been a long time and Jongin had to admit it felt good to skate again with his best friend. He had missed it. 

When they stopped by another popular place to breathe a bit, Jongin crouched down immediately on the stairs. He was exhausted and was sweating a lot. Sehun was always in a “go hard or go home” mindset and not being able to skateboard for more than two months apparently made him want to test his limits again. Jongin still thought it was a bad idea, he had tried to persuade Sehun to take it slow but he didn’t want to hear about it. 

Jongin was still slouched on the stairs when Sehun exclaimed, “Oh look who’s there,” before running to the person excitedly. Jongin stayed still and grumbled before turning away to see his friend saying hello to someone he didn't recognize at first. 

He decided to follow his friend battling against his own laziness, not wanting to be left alone. His friend, being a social butterfly, never just said hi to someone but rather talked to them for at least ten minutes. Jongin had to make sure Sehun didn’t spread lies about his leg to everyone. If there was a chance to make fun of his best friend, he would always be there. Soon enough, he realised that Sehun was talking to someone he actually knew. It was Doctor Do and it seemed like they had become pretty good friends during Sehun’s stay in the hospital. 

“Oh Jongin, you remember Kyungsoo right?” 

“Hm you mean Doctor Do, yeah,” Jongin turned to him, “nice seeing you again I guess.” 

“Hello Jongin. I see you've been well, Sehun. Except I remember telling you not to exercise for at least a month and from what I'm seeing here you’ve been skateboarding for quite some time.” 

Sehun didn't even feel self-conscious of his actions or of his face covered in sweat and just grinned bashfully. 

“I swear Sehun, I won't accept you into the hospital a second time just because you didn't want to listen.” 

“You’re not even on duty, don't be so uptight and let me have some fun. Don’t you want to try skating? You seemed quite interested in it when I talked about it non stop at the hospital.” 

He wiggled his eyebrows, daring Kyungsoo to try it. Sehun had always been good at distracting people and making them forget why they were nagging him. 

“I'm a busy old man and I don’t have time to break my leg or something.” 

“What do you mean old,” Sehun retaliated, “you will be old when you hit thirty.”

“Sehun, I'm twenty eight.” Kyungsoo said, not even amused a bit.

“Yeah exactly what I'm saying so come on!!”

Kyungsoo didn't need that much more convincing after that and that surprised Jongin a lot. Sehun even gave Kyungsoo his precious skate board. 

Jongin had, of course, visited his friend at the hospital but had only seen the doctor once or twice. He actually didn't know the two of them had grown that close in the span of a few weeks. Apparently, Sehun had been seeing him every time he went to the hospital for his weekly check-up and being the friendly guy he was, it was obvious that a friendship would blossom between them two. 

It was weird for him to feel left out when Sehun and Kyungsoo were skateboarding, even though he didn't mind that much. He just stayed on the side and watched his friend try to explain how to go forward and turn without using a board as visual representation. Sehun was really cute when he was passionate about something, he didn't even realize it and Jongin would never tell him. 

“Jongin, show him please. He just has do the same thing as you while I try to direct and correct his flailing limbs.” He turned to Kyungsoo again, muttering, “How did you even become a doctor if you can't control your own limbs.” Sehun’s offhanded comment earned him a slap on the head by Kyungsoo.

Jongin complied and slowly taught Kyungsoo how to stand on the board and how to position his body so that he would be able to turn properly. 

While Jongin was standing in front of Kyungsoo, trying to show him how to stand from his own board, Sehun was off to the side fixing Kyungsoo’s body technique. It was harder than expected to teach since it came so easy and natural for Sehun. And it was no surprise to Jongin that his friend had a hard time explaining it; he had never been much of a great teacher. 

“Wait, move, Sehun. I'll do it.” 

Sehun turned to Jongin and raised an eyebrow which probably meant [i]Do you really think you are better than me?[/i] To what Jongin answered silently in his head [i]Yes I am[/i]. 

Jongin helped the doctor fix his arm, so that he would not lose balance as soon as he got on the board. Jongin was apparently better at it than Sehun was, not that it was a surprise, since Kyungsoo got the hang of it soon after Jongin began helping him. Jongin explained using his whole body, it was quite a funny scene since he was making sure to exaggerate all of his movements. Still, Jongin had to correct most of Kyungsoo’s poses, moving his bones like he was a mere doll (but it worked!).

About ten minutes later, Kyungsoo was able to ride the board and even turn slightly to the right. Jongin grinned proudly while Sehun frowned, having not been impressed. He should though, Jongin thought. 

Jongin did not expect it but he had a good time with Sehun and his newfound friend. He had been surprised when Kyungsoo admitted he was only twenty eight years old and that he had graduated not that long ago. He was apparently well-known in the hospital for being one of the best grad-students. Some of the senior surgeons were apparently jealous of him and tried to make his work life hard. That didn't bother Kyungsoo that much it seemed, though. 

The three of them, after skating for an hour, decided to grab a beer. Sehun practically dragged Kyungsoo with them when he said he hadn't gone out for three months. Sehun had this will to make sure everyone had fun and enjoy their lives and not going out for that long was an insult to his motto (aka make the most of every moment or something like that). 

It was surprisingly nice between the three of them. They talked about everything, from Kyungsoo’s experience in medical school to Sehun’s worst sexual experience with a girl, who literally bit his dick. 

Jongin, who usually loved to gauge the situation with new people and stay quiet at the beginning, found himself talking quite a bit and laughing along. It was probably because everything with Sehun seemed way more comfortable than it should (and also because there was some alcohol involved and that really helped loosen up his mouth and thoughts). 

*** 

Jongin should have known it was a bad idea when Sehun asked him to come hang out with him and Kyungsoo on a sunny Saturday. But really, he couldn’t have passed on such an occasion. This week’s classes had been especially exhausting and the weather sucked the whole time so he couldn’t even skate and relax properly. Last weekend had been too busy for him to even go out, Jongin was dying to skateboard by now. He even remembered how pleasant the last time was when it was just the three of them. 

He felt like dressing up as comfortable as possible since today was his chill day, as he had decided. He put on his usual skinny jeans (not too skinny because they still had to be comfortable enough to skateboard in) and one of his loose t-shirt with his favorite snapback. He even cleaned up his Vans before going out, which was truly a miracle as it only happened once every six months or so. He grabbed his skateboard under his arm and went out cheerfully. 

He decided to grab a late breakfast on his way to meet Sehun and Kyungsoo and chilled on a bench while eating it. He liked the lazy days where he could wake up late and not feel the pressure to do anything whatsoever. It’s not like he had to be right on time to meet his friend, he could afford being a few minutes late. 

He took his time skating through the streets to the metro station, doing some tricks on the sidewalk as he listened to some upbeat music on his phone. Jongin felt like the stereotypical skater with the clothes he wore and the music he listened to. He didn’t mind it at all though, he liked it even.

It only took half an hour to reach his destination before he was out of the metro station. He skateboarded leisurely to the spot where he was supposed to meet his friends. Even though he had predicted that he would be late, he actually arrived quite early. So much for being a pessimist. Well, it’s better to be early than late, Jongin thought. 

He was used to Sehun always being late to their meetings and he had made it a habit to arrive ten minutes later than the time Sehun set up. He didn’t want to wait for his friend every time they made plans to do something. He didn’t like standing somewhere, looking around aimlessly as if he were a lost puppy. He thought Sehun would make some effort today as someone else was joining them. Apparently, that was not the case. 

Jongin had already been waiting for fifteen minutes when Sehun told him, by text message, that he would be an hour late because of some problems he encountered at home. He didn’t say anything else, which was actually surprising to Jongin but Jongin figured Sehun didn’t have time to elaborate any further. He didn’t even want to know as he sighed and cursed his friend, even though it was probably not his fault. Fortunately, Kyungsoo appeared in front of him right at that moment and smiled brightly at him. 

“Hello Jongin! How are you doing?”

Jongin had a starstruck look etched on his face, he didn’t expect Kyungsoo to come to him like this. He had been too busy thinking about what could've been so important that Sehun had to stay back. He hadn’t been prepared to face Kyungsoo while he was lost in thought. He had almost forgotten that the doctor was also supposed to join them for the afternoon. 

“Hm…hello Kyungsoo. I’m doing fine I guess…and you?” he stuttered, really lamely in his opinion.

“Wonderful! I’m ready to skate again today, I actually tried to practice a bit at home.”

Jongin couldn’t help but smile at Kyungsoo’s excitement. It was pretty contagious. He looked younger when he didn’t sport his serious face as he had been when Jongin first met him. He actually looked more approachable and friendly like this. The age gap, that had been quite difficult to get past in the beginning, seemed relatively small and meaningless.

“Yeah, Sehun will be late. Like an hour kind-of-late. I hope you don’t mind hanging out with me until he comes to join us?” Jongin said, hesitantly at first and then finishing with the best smile he could muster at the moment. He was quite pissed off at his friend after all. He tried to hide it as best as he could. 

“Yeah, no problem! Don't tell him I actually said this, but you're actually a better teacher than he is.” 

Jongin was shocked that the doctor would so bluntly tell him something just a few minutes after meeting up. He tried not to show his surprise by acting like it was the most normal thing ever.

“So let's see what you remember from last time.” Jongin said excitedly, already forgetting the fact that Sehun wouldn’t meet up with them for a while. 

Kyungsoo got on the skateboard as soon as Jongin laid it down in front of him and started skating away from Jongin at a medium pace. Jongin was watching, feeling content at the progress Kyungsoo had made since they last saw each other.

Kyungsoo was apparently very proud of himself too when he managed to turn back around (still at a rather slow pace) and skate back toward Jongin. He jumped off the skateboard when he arrived in front of him and threw his hands up in victory. Jongin couldn't help but smile at his adorableness. What he had done hadn’t been quite impressive per se, but it was a good start, Jongin supposed. He didn’t even remember how he learned to skate himself, it seemed like he was born to do it with natural talents backing him up.

For a few minutes, Jongin had been making Kyungsoo do some laps, correcting his posture to improve his abilities more, since it was the most important thing to learn. Jongin was quite a perfectionist but Kyungsoo didn't seem to mind. He was actually eager to learn from him because it always made him try his best.

Actually, Jongin didn't know where he stood with Kyungsoo, aka a professional doctor. Kyungsoo was quite older than him and Jongin had always been told to respect his elders but Kyungsoo was, at the same time, treating him like they were friends. Not to mention he didn't look like his age or act his age. Jongin had seen him act quite childishly during their last outing with Sehun. 

His trail of thoughts were stopped as Kyungsoo came back to him from doing a whole lap around the area. He was still grinning and Jongin had forgotten all about his doubts as he smiled back to Kyungsoo. 

Sehun eventually joined them later than he had anticipated. He was actually surprised that Kyungsoo seemed to have a fun time with Jongin. As soon as he had gotten there, Jongin had sported a relieved expression. He grinned at his best friend before doing their usual bro bump.

"So, it seems like you've learnt a lot since we last hung out." Sehun stated, smiling toward Kyungsoo. 

"Yep and it's no thanks to you." Kyungsoo retorted back, smirking towards the newcomer.

"Stop hanging out with Jongin if you're gonna be mean like that afterwards." Sehun pouted.

Panting hard from all of their practice, Kyungsoo walked straight to sit on a bench near Sehun and just let himself down with absolutely no grace. Jongin joined him in front of Sehun's shocked eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" Sehun was by now gaping as Jongin smiled innocently at him. "I just got here and you decide to take a break [i]now[/i]? Well then, see if I care." He finished before turning around to go skate on his own.

It was quite endearing for the two newfound friends to watch Sehun skate together. He was quite skilled and no one could deny that, even though he tended to be reckless. Sehun was doing some warm-up tricks on the stairs just besides them. Jongin was watching carefully to see if he had lost his touch after he breaking his leg, but other than some minor mistakes that didn't seem to be the case.

While Sehun was performing the tricks he had been longing to perform since he broke his leg, Kyungsoo stared curiously. When Jongin noticed Kyungsoo’s confused face, he began naming the tricks to Kyungsoo as Sehun performed them and told him about the mechanics behind each trick. Kyungsoo seemed quite lost but Jongin didn’t care as he kept explaining each trick. Sehun enjoyed the attention and tried his best when he knew people were watching, he had always been an attention seeker no matter how much he denied it.

About ten minutes later, Jongin decided to join his best friend in skating, after making sure it was okay with Kyungsoo first. It was really entertaining for the latter to watch the two of them skate together. They kept messing with each other, always getting too close to one another, even though it was risky. But they were obviously used to it and it was refreshing to see them both smile as much. Definitely a good afternoon, Kyungsoo considered.

"I'm actually offended you both think I'm a bad teacher. Have you ever thought that maybe [i]you[/i] were the bad student?" Sehun raised his eyebrows, way too serious for something that was meant to be casual. He and Jongin had just came back to Kyungsoo when Kyungsoo snatched Sehun's skateboard away from his hand and started skating away slowly.

"Are you really implying I'm a bad student when I ranked fourth in my class at one of the best medical schools in Seoul?" 

Sehun couldn't help but shut up at that remark. 

***

Jongin was quite anxious at the idea of hanging out with Kyungsoo alone. He had been anxious since he woke up that morning and realized what was about to happen. Kyungsoo had asked him a few days ago if he wanted to hang out during the weekend, after Jongin had complained about Sehun being stuck at home for the weekend due to family matters. 

Jongin had dressed casually, persuading himself that it was no big deal. He took the first ripped pair of jeans he found out of his closet and threw them on his bed as he continued to rummage through the rest of his hangers to find a suitable t-shirt. After a few minutes and three creased t-shirts thrown down onto his bed later, he gave up and just put on the simple yellow t-shirt he had bought recently. 

He arrived at the subway station just in time to catch a subway that would take him to the park near the Han river as planned. He had put on his earphones to try to block out the background noise inside the subway. His ‘fun’ playlist was amazing for times like this when he wanted to be pumped and ready for his meeting with Kyungsoo. 

Soon enough, he was out of the subway and on his way to the staircase where he told Kyungsoo to wait for him. He tried to calm himself while riding his skateboard to their meeting place but he was so nervous that it only worked to a certain extent. Better than nothing, he thought. Anything to avoid showing up looking like the anxious mess he could be when he let the stress take over. 

Kyungsoo was already there waiting by time he got there and Jongin’s heart couldn’t help but stop for a second when he saw him standing there, looking around as if he were lost. He brushed his hair quickly with his hand and took off his earphones, praying the wind didn’t make his cheeks red. 

“Hello.” He barely choked out as he reached Kyungsoo. The latter smiled brightly and returned the greeting. He relaxed instantly at the sound of Kyungsoo’s voice and he realized his worries had been useless. No matter what he wore or what his face looked like, it didn’t matter at that moment. 

“So yeah sorry, I didn’t have a skateboard so I just came with my bike. It’s okay, right?” Kyungsoo broke the silence and Jongin wasn’t quite relaxed. 

“No of course, it’s more than okay. I’ll show you some good places around here to skate and bike!” He said rather joyfully. “You’ll probably go faster than me, skating is quite tiring you know.” 

“We can takes breaks, no need to go too fast right? I’ll wait for you!” Kyungsoo answered as promptly as he could, showing some hint of stress in the way he talked.

Jongin chuckled to himself, he was actually glad he wasn’t the only one nervous. That made him more feel more at ease as he prompted Kyungsoo to follow him so that they could start on their little journey. Neither of them had mentioned that this was a date, but the idea was planted in the back of both of their minds. 

They didn’t talk for the first few minutes. It seemed that no one knew what to say and the fact that one was biking and the other was skateboarding didn’t make things any easier either. Jongin was trying to keep up with Kyungsoo by skating fast but he knew he wouldn’t last much longer at that pace he was going. 

He tried to make Kyungsoo talk as much as possible in order to not show how rapidly he was losing his breath. The latter actually enjoyed telling him about his day and all the patients he had. It seemed like every one of them had a special attribute that Kyungsoo had noted. He didn’t actually talk about why they were in hospital, but rather talked about their personality, their little quirks. For Jongin, it was quite funny and he really thought Kyungsoo might be one of the best doctors he had ever met (and probably one of the best in Seoul when it came to being nice). 

Jongin was getting really tired after twenty minutes of skating the cycle path and Kyungsoo had gotten so excited about talking about his patients that he hadn’t realized that Jongin was actually struggling to keep up with him. He slowed down and held on to the back of Kyungsoo’s bike and let the other pull him, hoping the latter wouldn’t notice so that he could take a break and hopefully catch his breath. 

“What,” Kyungsoo whispered before turning to see Jongin holding on his bike. His eyes went awfully big when he took notice of Jongin latched onto the back of his bike. Jongin let out a shy chuckle at Kyungsoo’s shocked face. 

“Do you think this is funny?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “I’m the one doing all the work here, this is not fair.” 

“Well, I’m tired. You shouldn’t have gone that fast.”

Kyungsoo seemed sorry for a moment before suddenly hitting the brakes. Jongin wasn’t ready at all (he wasn’t really paying attention) and he ran into Kyungsoo’s bike, almost making the other fall down from the shock. 

“Sorry,” the both of them apologized at the same time and laughed, realizing no one had gotten hurt. 

“For a doctor, you’re quite careless.” Jongin sniggered playfully. Kyungsoo stared at him, eyebrows raised as if to contradict him without actually saying anything. (And it worked, Jongin had to admit). 

Kyungsoo sat in the grass near the cycle path, putting his bike down without acknowledging Jongin. The latter feared that Kyungsoo was upset because of his remark, but his worries soon washed away once he caught a glimpse of Kyungsoo’s soft smile. 

They sat down in silence for a while. Jongin was finally able to catch his breath, looking all around him.

“This place is really pretty, isn’t it?” Jongin said in awe as Kyungsoo nodded. 

Kyungsoo jumped up and quickly took Jongin’s skateboard before the younger could do anything about it. He smirked when he realized his plan had worked out. Jongin was looking at him weirdly as he didn’t understand why a giggling Kyungsoo seemed so proud of himself. 

“So, I thought,” Kyungsoo started off gently, “You could ride my bike…and I’ll stand on the skateboard this time while you pull me. You know… as payback...” 

Kyungsoo was smiling brightly at Jongin by now, trying to convince him that it was the best idea he ever had. Not that Jongin would protest anyways. 

Jongin stood up, in an unclassy manner and lifted up Kyungsoo’s bike as if it was the heaviest thing on earth. Still, he got on the bike without protesting as Kyungsoo got ready to be pulled. 

When Jongin started to move forward, he hadn’t expected the extra weight to slow him down that much. He begged his legs to press further down on the pedals so that the bike could finally start moving. 

It was difficult but when Jongin finally reached a steady pace, despite it being rather slow, it was easier to pull Kyungsoo. It was as if there was no one holding onto the back of the bike. Kyungsoo was actually thankful for the slow pace because he was still learning how to ride a skateboard and didn’t want to injure himself falling down. 

“Tell me if you’re tired,” Kyungsoo chuckled at his own words. Not that Jongin would stop anytime soon since Kyungsoo seemed very happy to be riding the skateboard like this. 

They eventually stopped after a while when the both of them got tired. They didn’t have much energy to go on like this for much longer anyway. 

“So…do you want to get something to drink?” Jongin asked bashfully. “Sorry this whole day has been quite cliché, but I don’t really mind so...hm…”. 

Kyungsoo was now looking at the younger fondly. “More than clichéd I’d even say even. But it’s okay, I kinda like it too.” 

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. They both just needed to process the other’s words and recover from the fact they were both so cliché (and liked it). They stopped as they took sight of a bunch of people going out of a path, holding ice creams, and decided to follow the way they those people were coming from. 

Kyungsoo followed Jongin into the ice cream parlor and both ordered an ice cream sundae. They left the parlor and went to sit down by the Han river because it was quieter and more calm than the parlor. That proved to be quite difficult, though, since there were a lot of people by the river at this time of the day. With such nice weather outside, it was no wonder why everyone had wanted to go out really. 

They found a place after a few minutes of wandering around. It wasn’t as quiet as Jongin had wanted it to be but it was good enough. Once both sat down, they were finally able to eat their sundaes that had unfortunately melted a bit on their quest to finding a resting spot. 

Kyungsoo playfully took some of Jongin’s sundae with his spoon and ate it. The younger feigned annoyance before they both smiled at each other. The silence that followed was a great one, Jongin decided. They were both content eating and enjoying the sunshine warming their faces. 

“So hm…what exactly made you want to become a surgeon?” Jongin broke the silence. The silence had become awkward and Jongin didn't like it. Usually it was other people trying to start up a conversation with him, but with Kyungsoo, Jongin wanted to hold a comfortable conversation.

“Well...I’ve always wanted to be one ever since I was a child. It’s quite cliché but I guess I like to help people?”

“Seems like your style.” 

They talked for a while more until they realized that the sun was setting in front of them. Kyungsoo chuckled and said that the time had passed by too quickly. But he had things to take care of at home so he had to leave. That’s how their day ended, leaving Jongin unsure of how to feel. He was still processing what had just happened. 

He went home feeling like a zombie. He couldn’t stop thinking about the day and every little event. Did he really spend the day with a cute doctor? (Yes, he did.) 

***

“Who are you even sending this to?” Sehun asked, dumbfounded at the fact that Jongin had been taking videos all the afternoon and had been staying busy with the usage of his phone rather than skating. It was very unusual of him and Sehun was starting to worry. 

“None of your business,” he answered as he smirked to his phone.

“What the fuck man, tell me that you have a crush on someone at least, don’t be that obvious.”

“What crush? What are you even talking about? Can’t I just text someone without being interrogated by you?!” 

The conversation stopped there but Sehun was still keen on finding out who his friend had been talking to so intensely. It was very likely his friend had a crush on whoever that person was. He wasn’t usually that easily distracted and to top it off, skateboarding had always came before anything else, or anyone else for the matter, in Jongin’s eyes. That made it all the more suspicious to Sehun and he intended to find out. 

***

When Kyungsoo asked Jongin to come out to eat something with him on Friday night, the younger thought it would be a quick dinner together since Kyungsoo had been complaining all week about how stressed and tired he was. Little did Jongin know that he was being asked out for something more than a quick dinner date. He should have know, seeing Kyungsoo’s message: “Are you free Friday night? Let’s go eat at [I]Le Comptoir[/i].” Jongin had no idea what restaurant it was and he didn’t bother looking it up on internet, but that’s where he messed up was wrong. It was a well-known French restaurant in Seoul, but who was Jongin to know fancy French restaurants? 

That’s exactly why he didn’t bother to dress up and just decided to go in the clothes he had been wearing since the morning. He had been skating all afternoon with Sehun and was wearing some jogging pants and a loose shirt. This would be perfect to eat quickly at a food stall in Myeongdong. 

When Jongin met up with Kyungsoo at 7pm sharp in front of a fancy restaurant that Kyungsoo had given him the address to, he realized he misunderstood Kyungsoo’s initial date plan and freaked out. He almost turned back to go home and change but Kyungsoo saw him before he had the chance. He could only muster up a little smile in apology. 

“Hm hello” Kyungsoo said quietly, which was very unlike him. Jongin was too distressed to notice. 

“Hello…Sorry…I didn’t expect…this.” And by this Jongin meant, Kyungsoo dressed up very nicely and waiting for him in front of an amazing restaurant, apparently also stressed as he did not expect Jongin to come looking like a mess. 

Both were embarrassed and didn’t know what to say to each other. This silence was definitely an awkward one, Jongin could tell. He looked at his feet and around him, only seeing people as greatly dressed up as Kyungsoo was. 

“So…sorry for ruining this?” Jongin declared, unsure of himself. What could one even do in such a situation? 

“It’s okay I guess. I didn’t know what I was expecting.” Kyungsoo definitely seemed disappointed now. “Let’s just…eat somewhere else.” 

Kyungsoo was already walking away, his shoulders slumped down, much like as his mood. Jongin felt terrible and was determined to save the evening, if it was even still possible. 

“Yah Kyungsoo.” He jogged up to him, “What do you think about good old bibimbap? One can never go wrong with bibimbap. And I won’t embarrass myself which could have very easily happened in a fancy restaurant trust me.”

Kyungsoo was still upset, it was very obvious on his face, but he tried to reassure Jongin that it was okay. He nodded and followed Jongin. 

“And what do you think about getting ice cream crepes for dessert? I’m craving some. We can even take a walk around the river at night, it’s such a pretty night tonight, don’t you think?” 

Truthfully, Jongin looked like a puppy who just made a mistake and was trying to cheer up his owner, even though Kyungsoo tried not show him that he was disappointed. 

They arrived at a little restaurant cramped up in between two buildings. Jongin went to hold the door for Kyungsoo, sporting the most charming smile he could. He was finally relieved when Kyungsoo smiled back at him. Jongin hoped it was a genuine smile. 

Soon enough, the tension between them disappeared and they both acted as if the little incident from before hadn’t happened. They fell back into their usual conversations and Jongin was glad he didn’t totally ruin the night. He let Kyungsoo pay for the meal since he had insisted.

They both walked down the streets, searching for a booth selling ice cream crepes that Jongin swore he remembered being sold somewhere on the street. (Kyungsoo was sure it was two streets away but didn’t say anything, finding it funny to see Jongin getting more and more annoyed. Payback was sweet.)

The ice cream was not as good as Jongin remembered but it didn’t matter; it would not ruin the night. They sat together on a bench in silence, both enjoying their ice cream and avoiding it spilling on their laps. 

All of the sudden, as Jongin was trying to lick the side of the crepe carefully to not to let a piece of ice cream fall down on his lap, Kyungsoo cleared his throat. Jongin had almost dropped his ice cream when he turned abruptly to the other, eyes open wide in shock. Kyungsoo was looking at the ground determinedly, making Jongin wonder what was going on in his head. After a few seconds, Kyungsoo finally spoke.

“So I actually wanted to do something tonight.” Kyungsoo was now looking at the river in front of him, eyes lost in the water but still wearing a stern face. “But my plan kind of backfired…” 

Jongin was about to apologize but was cut short as soon as he opened his mouth. “But, I told myself I’d do it tonight. Now or never.” Kyungsoo turned his head and stared into the younger’s eyes, full of determination. Jongin shrunk a bit at Kyungsoo’s glare. 

“I was wondering if you’d go out with me Jongin. I was going to ask you after we had dinner at that fancy restaurant but obviously that wasn’t really your style so…yeah.” 

Jongin stared wide-eyed but soon brushed the expression off as soon as he realized what he was doing and smiled widely. Kyungsoo could finally breathe.

“Yes. Of course I’d like to go out with you, I really like you.”

*** 

Jongin woke up the next morning and started giggling in a high-pitched tone. He was smiling when he shoved his own head in the pillow and flailed his limbs everywhere. He took his phone and smiled even more (if it was possible) when he saw the goodnight message with a heart at the end from the night before. Everything had been real, he realized. 

He stayed in bed longer than usual, picturing last night’s events in his mind. Jongin was not single anymore and it was scary how great it felt. 

Everything happened last night in the spur of the moment and he hadn't had much time to think about everything since it passed by so quickly. Everything had felt like a dream and he had just let things happen without thinking about the consequences. Now that the dream was over, it felt too real. He never thought he would get into a relationship, even moreso with a doctor who already had his life together, which was something he had yet to do. 

Jongin still thought of himself as some adolescent boy with too many childish thoughts, and who was definitely not ready for adult life. He hadn't even graduated from university for god’s sake.

Kyungsoo, his now amazing yet scary boyfriend, had been anything but judgemental about his life choices and that made Jongin believe things could go right for them. He really hoped so, at least. He handled Jongin with so much care last night and their first kiss had been really soft, showing how much Kyungsoo cared about him. Jongin’s heart swelled at that thought and he screamed in his pillow in excitement. 

***

Jongin swore university would kill him at some point. And that would probably be very soon seeing how exhausted he was. He was bad at dealing with stress and responsibilities, as almost every other university student was. His sleeping schedule was so messed up that even though he had wanted to go to sleep at seven pm, he just stared at the ceiling for three hours before finally falling asleep.

Hence why he decided to go see Kyungsoo one night, about a month after since they got together. They hadn't been able to see much of each other lately since they were both busy with things. Jongin was finally done with his finals and Kyungsoo had been able to clear one of his evening to see his boyfriend.

They both decided on a movie night, curled up together on the couch. Jongin really thought cuddling was nice as he snuggled even closer to his boyfriend. Kyungsoo played with Jongin's hair during the whole duration of the movie. Feeling Kyungsoo’s soft fingers run through his scalp made Jongin realize that there was no place he’d rather be at this moment. This was the perfect way to relax after finals.

When the movie was over, Kyungsoo asked him if he wanted to watch another movie but his boyfriend only shook his head. They laid down intertwined together on the couch until Jongin spoke up.

"What am I even gonna do? Why do I even care so much about finals when I have no idea what to do with myself later?" He sighed and put his head back on Kyungsoo's chest to stare at the ceiling.

"It's gonna be alright." Kyungsoo muttered, stroking lazily his boyfriend’s arm.

"No it's not." Jongin whispered as he swallowed loudly. He seemed troubled again.

"Why'd you major in economics if you didn’t know what you were going to do with it after you graduate? Shouldn’t you have some ambitions in life?" Kyungsoo wondered out loud as he got up to get a glass of water. His boyfriend’s comment had Jongin feeling quite attacked as he turned back to Kyungsoo, eyes widened in disbelief. 

"Are you kidding? Sorry not everyone had an idea of what they wanted to be since they were three like you did. Not everyone can be as smart and as well-planned as you." Jongin hissed.

"It wasn't easy for me either Jongin, I had to work for what I have now." Kyungsoo said quite loudly from the other side of the room.

"At least you had a goal, you didn't have to major in a random subject just because everyone told you to because they believed it was something meant for you." He barked.

"It's difficult for everyone for fuck's sake Jongin, you aren’t the only one facing this problem."

"Yeah right, everyone knows what they want to do after graduation and I feel like a fucking loser because I don’t."

"Stop putting yourself down Jongin, gosh." Kyungsoo said harshly as he gulped down his glass of water in one go.

"Sorry if I can't help it mister perfect grades." Jongin got up and took his bag that he had thrown on the floor when he first came over.

"Where are you going now Jongin? Running away from this talk won't help anything. Stay, let’s talk about it together. There is still time to plan your future. A lot more people feel like this than you think."

Jongin didn't listen and put on his shoes and his coat, not bothering to look at his boyfriend. He was fuming and he didn't want to say something he'd regret later, but it was probably already the case anyway.

"I’ve been there too, I also doubted myself and my choices. I can help you go through that and finding a job isn’t as hard as everyone is making it. Stop being a coward!" Kyungsoo argued, he had put down his glass and was ready to confront Jongin and his stubborn self.

"Don't, Kyungsoo. I'm not in the mood to fight with you and right now I just really want to sleep. Goodnight." Jongin ended the conversation and slammed the door. He ran through the streets to get to the subway station as soon as he could so that he could get home faster. 

His face didn't display the turmoil that was happening within his mind. It was a pure mess and he didn't know who he should feel sorry for: himself, Kyungsoo, his parents, his friends... Jongin had a dire fear of the future and he absolutely hated talking about it since he had no idea what would happen. Honestly, he feared for the worst.

No one, except maybe Sehun, knew that he even had a panic attack a few months ago as he thought about his future. He wasn't ready to talk about it with his boyfriend though, it was too soon and Jongin didn't know how to explain that to someone who had his life already planned out with a steady and well-recognized job.

***

Jongin didn’t last long ignoring Kyungsoo. The day after, he sent him a message to apologize and he felt even worse for what he did, when his boyfriend told him that it was okay and that he understood. Kyungsoo even offered to help him since he knew some people who used to be as lost economics majors like Jongin. Jongin just said he would think about it but never mentioned it again. 

Jongin actually decided to go fetch Kyungsoo at the hospital right after his classes a week later. It had been about a week since they fought and Jongin wanted to make it up for it to Kyungsoo. Why bother going home and wasting time doing unproductive things when he could be spending time making up with his boyfriend? They were, after all, still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship and Jongin, as the young fool in love he was, couldn't wait to see his boyfriend.

He arrived at Kyungsoo’s workplace quickly as it wasn't actually that far from his university. It’s had been a few months since he stepped into the hospital, the last time being when he went to visit Sehun after he broke his leg. 

Even though this time he wasn’t here for anything serious, he still didn’t feel at ease. Hospitals just gave him a bad feeling and he wasn’t fond of the smell of antiseptics everywhere. He couldn’t believe Kyungsoo had been dealing with that smell for years. 

He hadn't told his boyfriend beforehand that he was coming and he was already beginning to regret it as soon as he realized how just huge the hospital was. What did he even expect? How could he even think he would just go into the hospital and find his boyfriend right away? How naive of him.

The mood was really weird, it seemed quite tense and it wasn’t surprising at all considering the fact that hospitals weren’t usually a place you visited with a good mood. Jongin felt out of place and his excitement died as he realized people weren’t all exactly happy. He definitely wasn't used to feeling somber. He went straight to the reception desk, not daring to look at the other people around, too scared of what he would witness.

"Could you please tell me where I could find Doctor Do?" He asked in a low tone.

"Hello sir. I'm sorry I'm not allowed to tell you that. Doctor Do is actually working right now. Medical students or fans aren’t allowed to come visit him during work hours. Please come see him at one of his conferences."

Jongin was dumbfounded. He knew Kyungsoo was actually quite known for some of his achievements, even if he didn’t exactly know what they were. He just gaped at the receptionist for a while before composing himself. Why were people being difficult with him? Why couldn't everything go smoothly for once?

"I'm sorry, I think you're mistaken. I actually know him. I'm a friend and I wanted to visit him. It was supposed to be a surprise, you know?"

The secretary looked at him with suspicion, she obviously didn’t believe him. 

"I'm sorry sir, please contact him by your own means if you are really his friend as you're claiming to be."

Jongin sighed dejectedly. That's really not how he expected things to go. He refused to call him, he wasn't sure if Kyungsoo had his phone with him anyway. He decided to wander in the hospital a bit, trying to find out where the surgeon wing was from the signs on the wall.

About ten minutes later, he felt like he was going in circles and wasn't any closer to finding Kyungsoo. The hospital was giant and it seemed quite impossible to find his way through it. It'd have been way easier if someone had just told him right at the beginning where to find him. How frustrating.

After another five minutes, he finally caved in and decided to call his boyfriend. His surprise was ruined anyway and he didn't want to get lost in this gigantic place. The smells weren’t helping feel him at ease and he was starting to feel sick. How ironic.  
"Kyungsoo?" Jongin begged after his boyfriend luckily answered his phone. 

"Yes, what's happening Jongin?" Kyungsoo didn't even realized Jongin's distressed state. Instead, he seemed out of breath and maybe even annoyed? Jongin couldn't really tell at this point.

“I'm actually at the hospital right now. I wanted to surprise you."

What seemed like a good idea in the morning proved futile when Jongin executed the plan. He hadn't thought about the difficulties he would run into obviously. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Kyungsoo grumbled on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, I know I told you it would probably be calm today but it's really hectic. I can't talk right now, sorry bye."

Kyungsoo just hung up on him like that and Jongin felt like crying. He had just been rejected by his boyfriend and even though he understood that he had a real job and real responsibilities, he still felt left out after what happen at the reception desk. He was used to people not taking him seriously as he looked quite young, yet it hurt more than he would care to admit.

When he got home that night, he was feeling down. He didn’t even want to call his best friend to talk about it. He just felt like lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling for hours and that's exactly what he did. He just needed time to feel better and he was sure a good night of sleep would help him. 

The next day, he woke up with a terrible headache from the lack of sleep. Despite wanting to sleep early, he could only toss in turn throughout the whole night. Jongin wanted to stay in bed but he had lectures to attend to and grades to maintain. Freaking out wouldn't help any of that, that’s why he had to forced himself to go to university.

"Care to tell me why Kyungsoo's been asking me where you've been to last night?"

Sehun had eventually found out that they were dating, it was even Kyungsoo who told him just a few days after [I]that[/i] night when they got together. Jongin had been surprised to see they were still texting a lot, even without seeing each other a lot. He had now taken a liking to answer Sehun’s texts when he could get a hold of Kyungsoo’s phone every time they were hanging out. Truthfully Sehun had been quite grossed out when he found out but he had claimed that he saw it coming and that Jongin should thank him and his dumb idea because he got to meet his boyfriend thanks to it. 

Jongin's eyes got wide in shock for a few seconds before his mouth went dry. He hadn't checked his phone since last night and didn’t even bother to bring his phone to class today since he couldn’t find it.

"I was home. I went to sleep early and forgot my phone today."  
Sehun seemed doubtful and Jongin was tired of people not believing him. He shrugged it off and sat down quietly. His friend knew him well after the few years they spent together and knew better than to pry into his business.

"I’m just gonna tell him you're fine then."

***

Jongin wasn't fine. When he got home that night, he didn't look for his phone and he didn’t call Kyungsoo like he had eventually promised Sehun he would. Something was bugging him and he just wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't.

Jongin had a very bad way of coping with things. He tended to not think about what was stressing him out and ignore it until he couldn't anymore. He knew it was not a good way of dealing with stressful situations but he never learnt how to do it any other way. That's why that evening he played video games until late at night so he could just pass out to sleep, not thinking about anything other than his video games.

Sehun realized four days later that something was wrong with his best friend. Jongin had barely talked to his boyfriend since that day at the hospital and Kyungsoo had been coming to Sehun to find out what was wrong. Sehun didn't know and he hated when his best friend shut him out and pretended that nothing was bothering him.

Jongin lasted a week like that before Sehun went to confront him directly. 

"Jongin, stop playing foul and tell me what's wrong?"

Jongin looked at his best friend as if he had grown two heads. He knew very well what his friend meant but he thought he could fool him a bit more.

"I don’t know what you talking about, Sehun. I'm just tired, that’s all."

Sehun stopped him as Jongin tried to pass by him in the hallway.

"Don't play dumb Jongin. I know you too well." Sehun almost growled. The atmosphere was growing tense between the two of them.

"I'm trying to figure out some things. It's okay, I just need time."

"Jongin." Sehun pried further as his face grew softer. "You know you can talk to me about it. It's probably going to be easier for you that way. You can trust me."

"I know Sehun, thank you. There are just some insecurities coming back to me." Jongin breathed out.

***

Jongin only lasted two more days before he broke down to his best friend. They had been at Jongin's flat, eating dinner and working on some assignments when he took a deep breath and let out, "I'm still feel like a child Sehun. I... just... I..."

Sehun knew Jongin had reached his own limits and he was glad he could finally talk to him. He got closer to his friend and took him into a bone crushing hug.

"I went… to the hospital. I felt so out of place.... A child..." He uttered. "I can't deal with responsibilities... you know it. I’m not good enough." Sehun was struggling hard to catch Jongin's word that was muffled out by the fabric of his own sweater.

"Jongin....Stop doubting yourself all the damn time. You're good enough I swear." Sehun said with all the confidence he could muster.

"I don't know how to deal with this relationship anymore. It just feel like I shouldn't... I just... I don't even know what I wanna do later."

"It doesn't matter, you're worth so much more than your studies." Jongin nodded in the crook of Sehun's neck.

"You gotta talk to him about it... You know it's the only way to solve things." Sehun added softly and Jongin knew he had to. He just didn't want to. Not yet.

"I will... eventually..."

***

Jongin only saw his boyfriend a few days later and he tried to act as if he hadn’t been avoiding him for the past week. Everything was alright, Jongin had to deal with his own issues, no need to involve more people than necessary, he thought as he knocked on the door.

Kyungsoo opened the door sporting a concerned face. Jongin smiled and hugged him, burying his head in his neck to inhale his scent. “That’s it, I deserve it, everything is perfect like that” Jongin persuaded himself.

It was obvious Kyungsoo didn’t want to push Jongin to talk about anything but the older grew quite restless as time passed by. Jongin tried to ignore the tension in the air and focused instead on the food he was eating. His boyfriend had been nice enough to cook some food for him that night, maybe to apologize or something? Not that he had anything to apologize for.

Kyungsoo had been telling Jongin about his new horrific intern in the surgeon ward and Jongin couldn’t help but laugh at his misery. He absolutely lost it when his boyfriend declared that he had wanted to chop him up his intern numerous times but couldn’t because obviously “it wasn’t a good thing for his reputation or for doctor’s etiquette in general, but did those things even matter anymore?”. Jongin then moved on to tell Kyungsoo about a student who came running into the class and fell down in front of the hundred people who were in the room at that moment. Sehun had tried to re-enact the scene later with their other friends who hadn’t been there to witness it. It could have ended there but the poor student passed by at that exact moment and Sehun actually felt sorry for imitating him (which was truly hilarious according to Jongin).

Jongin was glad that the atmosphere became less serious between the two of them and that they could both laugh freely (even if Kyungsoo was still claiming he should not be laughed at). The tension became thick again when Jongin started to clean up the dishes and could feel Kyungsoo’s hard stare on him. He tried to ignore it but it was quite difficult.

He turned to his boyfriend with an eyebrow raised. He meant to make a joke about the situation but was cut off when he saw the other’s stare. “So Jongin,” Kyungsoo started, clearly wanting to break the ice. “Care to tell me what’s wrong? ... I really wanted to ignore it since you were so keen on doing so. But it seems you’re not handling the situation so well from what Sehun told me.”

Jongin almost felt hurt, hearing those words, but that was probably for the best, he thought. He went immediately to sit down on the couch, as if he was a child who just had been scolded. Kyungsoo followed him and took his hand in his own, rubbing it softly.

“Hm… I… just… felt insecure I guess? I just still don’t know what I wanna do with my life and it’s making me feel worthless. Also my major isn’t that satisfying for me but I’m too scared to tell my parents I wanna change it since I’m not sure to what? They’re paying for my rent and for my university fees so I feel like I should just shut up, study and enjoy. It’s quite silly to worry so much about all of this but I can’t help but overthink everything.” Jongin started slowly but ended up his sentence in a rush, words stumbling out of his mouth together.

“Should we talk it out? I already said I was willing to help you and share my experience and even my friends’. You should meet them, maybe you’d feel better and see there is a solution.” Kyungsoo said quite innocently.

“Yeah, seems like a good idea. I just get really stressed out when I think about the future and I may or may not have had a panic attack a month ago because of that. I’d rather not talk about it right now though, but let’s talk more tomorrow okay? I also want this… us... to work... Now can we just cuddle? I missed it.” Jongin pouted as he said the last words and Kyungsoo felt obligated to take the younger (yet taller) into his arms.

The cuddle session they had that night had been what they both really needed, to feel each other and be certain that they cared. Kyungsoo kept reassuring his boyfriend, telling him about his own worries during the time Jongin had ignored him, how it had hurt him when he thought he definitely had done something wrong, how maybe he wasn’t patient enough or considerate enough. After hearing those, the latter felt better but decided it was not the right moment to keep talking about his own insecurities. He wanted to, of course, but he still didn’t know how to do it properly. He was sure he would be more comfortable in the future to do it freely. Kyungsoo was really understanding when Jongin made sure to explain it again to him that night as they were making out. Kyungsoo thought he was killing the mood and decided to start kissing him again to make him finally shut up.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it~


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